Pritzker self-isolating after staffer sickened by COVID-19; 1,362 new cases in state
An unidentified staff member of Gov. J.B. Pritzker's administration has tested positive for COVID-19, causing Pritzker and an unspecified portion of his staff to self-isolate for 14 days.
State officials announced the diagnosis Tuesday morning, saying the staff member tested positive Monday after displaying symptoms.
The staff member was with Pritzker at events last week in Chicago, Marion and Marseilles. The staff member and Pritzker wore masks during the "entirety" of their visits, according to a news release.
The staff member was also tested Sept. 23 during weekly testing for the governor's office and was negative, Pritzker's office reported.
Meanwhile, state health officials reported 23 more COVID-19 deaths Tuesday, bringing the state's death toll from the respiratory disease to 8,637.
Another 1,362 cases of the disease were also reported Tuesday by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Since the outbreak began, 291,001 Illinois residents have tested positive for the virus. IDPH officials are also reporting 96% of those who have had the disease have recovered. The state's seven-day average infection rate dipped slightly Tuesday to 3.6%.
However, the state's nine-county northwest region, which contains towns like Rockford, Freeport and Galena, was put under new restrictions after the seven-day average rate of positive test results increased to 8.3%. Restaurants and bars will no longer be allowed to serve customers indoors and gatherings will be limited to 25 people or 25% of capacity.
This isn't the first time Pritzker and some of his staff have had to quarantine. In mid-May another member of Pritzker's top staff contracted COVID-19, which caused the governor and about 20 others to self-isolate for two weeks.
Now, the governor and all close contacts are isolating for 14 days again, in accordance with federal and state guidelines.
All staff members who report to the governor's office are being tested and must test negative before returning to work. All tests conducted on the staff Monday came back negative. The governor's office undergoes weekly deep cleaning and also underwent a similar treatment Monday, officials said.
The governor will hold streaming news conferences during the isolation period.
Elsewhere, the state's free COVID-19 testing site at Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora is moving a half-mile away to 2450 N. Farnsworth Ave. starting Wednesday. It is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The state is operating 11 free testing sites throughout Illinois. The Aurora site has been the state's second busiest testing location with 69,508 tests performed there since it opened. Only the Harwood Heights testing location has performed more tests since the outbreak began. That site has performed nearly 105,000 tests since opening.
However, in recent weeks traffic at the Aurora location has dwindled. Last week, the site averaged only 311 tests a day, but it has the capability to handle at least 750 daily, according to IDPH records.
The new site could test up to 1,000 daily, health officials said.
Last week, the state's three busiest testing sites each averaged more than 500 tests a day. The Champaign testing location averaged 588 tests daily, the site at Arlington International Racecourse in Arlington Heights averaged 532 and Peoria's location averaged 501, IDPH officials reported.
The state's other free testing sites are in Waukegan, Rockford, South Holland, Chicago's Auburn Gresham neighborhood, McLean County and East St. Louis.